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Monthly Archives: March 2012

New Delhi, Mar 31 Passengers travelling in AC 1 and AC 2 classes will have to shell out more from tomorrow when the upward revision in higher class fares will come into effect. The fare is also being hiked in Executive class and first class as per the Rail Budget 2012-13 announcement. The revised tariff will also be applicable to tickets tickets issued in advance for journey to commence on or after April 1, 2012. “In case tickets are already issued at pre-revised rates, the difference in fares will be recovered from passengers either by TTEs in trains or by the booking offices before commemcement of the journey,” said a senior Railway Ministry official. As per the decision, passenger fares will be increased 10 paise per km in first class, 15 paisa per km for AC 2 and 30 paisa per km for AC 1 from April 1. The platform ticket is also to cost Rs 5 from tomorrow, said the official. Though there was proposal for fare hike in all classes including AC III, sleeper class, suburban and second class in the Rail Budget, new Railway Minister Mukul Roy decided for partial roll back of fares in these classes. Railways have earned Rs 28,000 crore revenue from passenger fares in 2011-12. The national transporter was aiming to earn Rs 36,000 crore in 2012-13 with the five per cent expected growth in passenger volume in 2012-13 and the hike in all classes as proposed by the former Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi. However, now with the roll back in major classes like AC III and second class, railways is expected to earn only Rs 400 crore from the hike in AC 1, AC 2 and first class fares. The revised fare list is being displayed at all stations for public and the changed fare tables are also availble on the ministry website, said the official.

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The General Body meeting ( or All India Conference ) of the National Coordination Committee of Pensioners Association (NCCPA) will be held t Ratlam (M.P) on 12-13 April 2012. Com. S.K.Vyas, Secretary General has already notified the same. The Reception Committee with Com. Joshi has started all preparations for the successful conduct of the GB.

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31st March is important in many ways. Firstly, it is the date on which the Banks finalize the accounts. Government and many private and public organisations also finalize the accounts on the same date. The budget of the next year is to be approved by the Parliament before the start of the next financial year ie. April to March.

As far as Postal Department is concerned, this is the day on which the first Post Office in India was opened in Calcutta in 1774. The postal services was only for the government earlier. It was from 1774 onwards that it was opened for the public, though limitedly.

There will many important events connected with 31st March. It is, anyway, an important date.

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The capital of India was shifted from Calcutta to Delhi one hundred years back on this day, 1st April 1912. Till that time the Britishers were functioning at Calcutta as their headquarters. Of course during summer, they used to shift the HQ to Shimla to avoid the heat. But taking all facts in to consideration, including the security as well as the location, the HQ was shifted and Delhi became the capital. It is stated theat seven empires including that of Moghuls have ruled the country with Delhi as capital. New Delhi was constructed by the British along with the present Rashtrapathi Bhawan, North and South Blocks, Connaught Place etc.

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“The government is likely to declare some 400 officers in the telecom department as surplus following their refusal to consider re-employment in BSNL.

These Indian Telecom Service executives, who had transferred to the DoT from cash-strapped BSNL in November, are likely to be moved to a surplus staffers cell in the HRD ministry, according to a senior official of BSNL.”

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Many friends and comrades have intimated through SMSs, mails, calls and comments their heartfelt condolences to me in the last two days for my bereavement, passing away of my beloved elder sister. I thank all of them for their sharing of my grief and condolence messages.

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The summit meeting of the heads of the five countries, Brazil, Russia, India, China and S.Africa (BRICS) held in New Delhi in the last two days has been watched by the world over. These five countries are some of the major developed and developing countries and their co-operation in the field of economy, trade etc. will have important results. The developed countries like US and Euro takes this as an alternate grouping which may not be to their benefit.

One of the major decision is that despite the embargo for Iran, India, Brazil and S.Africa will continue to buy oil from Iran. Secondly they have called to US etc. to have talks with Iran on the nuclear issue. There were bilateral discussions between India and the heads of the participating nations.Thiese bilateral agreements will be beneficial to India. My congratulations to the leaders of the BRICS!

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The religious head of the Catholics, Pope Benedict XVI, met Revolutionary leader Fidel Castro during his visit to Cuba. This is not the first visit of the head of vatican with Cuba’s leader. Earlier, meeting had been held between Pope John Paul II and Fidel, while he was the President of Cuba.Pope was received in capital city of Havana at Revolution Square participated by about 3,00,000 people, a large number considering the cuba’s population.

Both octogenarians discussed issues of mutual concerns. One issue which was focussed was about the inhuman economic embargo of Cuba, by the US and connected countries. Pope in clear terms opposed it and demanded the US government to put an end to the blockade.

The meeting between the Catholic and the Communist is really historic.

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With the increasing mobile telephones, DOT is trying to rearrange the number system for telephones. Considering the fact that landlines and CDMA lines are mostly on the decline, it is proposing to utilise these numbers for mobile phones. Accordingly landlines numbers will be restricted to numbers starting with 2 and 4. Series starting with 92 and 93, which are mainly for the CDMA numbers, will also be allotted to GSM telephones.

However, the proposal of the TRAI to allot ten digit numbers to landlines has not been accepted by the DOT.